CBP snafu exposes proprietary information

By FCW Staff

Apr 06, 2012

After accidentailly posting documents containg commercial trade secrets, the Customs and Border Protection blocked access to a contracting Web page, and later moved its location, reports Kevin McCaney in Government Computer News, a sister publication to FCW.

In addition to blocking further access to the documents, CBP is asking anyone who downloaded the two documents in question to delete or destroy them, according to a notice posted to FedBizOps.

The website where the documents were posted is a password-protected site for authorized users, so CBP has a list of anyone who has accessed, viewed or downloaded the documents. CBP’s notice said it would directly contact those individuals, asking them to delete their copies and to confirm in writing that they’ve gotten rid of them, McCaney reported.